Taiwan says u0027risku0027 to its Trans-Pacific trade pact application if China joins first

TAIPEI: There is a “risk” to Taiwan’s application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) if China joins first, Taiwan’s chief trade negotiator John Deng said on Thursday (Sep 23). Taiwan formally applied to join on Wednesday , less than a week after China , the world’s second largest economy. Taiwan is excluded from many international bodies because of China’s insistence that it is part of “one-China” rather than a separate country. Deng told reporters that China always tries to obstruct Taiwan’s participation internationally, but that there was no direct connection between China’s application last week…